Power-generating apparatus.



No. 822,259. PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906.

W. L. R. EMMET. POWER GENERATING APPARATUS;

APPLIGATION FILED 0017,1905

' ciprocatin'g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. R. EMMET, or soHENEoTAmt, New YORK, AssiGivoR fr; GENERAL ELECTRIC ooMPAN'nA CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PowEwesNEaATiNe aPierurrus.

I is a specification.

The present invention relates to powergenerating plants wherein high-pressure reengines are employed,-and has for its object to improve their economy o1"- operation.

The invention is more particularly directed to existing power plants wherein it is desired to increase their capacity with a minimum expenditure of money or wherein it is desired to decrease the cost per kilowatt output by a better extraction of the available energy in the steam or both.

In carrying out my invention two ormore reciprocating engines are employed which may be simple or compound and-operate condensing or non-condensing. By preference these engines work between boiler-pressure and an exhaust of, say, atmosphere in the former case and eight pounds absolute at full load in the latter case, since below this ressure the economy of such an engine fal s oil rapidly. The pressure may of course be somewhat above or below this point, depending upon conditions. V

Suitably mounted in a manner to receive the exhaust from the engines is a low-pressure turbine, preferably of the jet type, since it possesses certain advantages in the way the steam is utilized; but the invention is not necessarily limited thereto in all respects.

The turbine is or may be provided with. as many sets of nozzles or other fluid-discl arg ing devices as there are reciprocating engines. In some cases two or more engines, depending upon their size, may be connected to the same set of nozzles or other fluid-discharging devices. Ordinarily, however, where the en gines are of moderate size each one discharges into a separate nozzle or discharging device on the turbine. In the connection between the low-pressure cylinder of each reci rocating engine and the turbine is a relic valve,

.which is set to open at any desired increase in pressure and to close automatically when said pressure falls. The relief-valve is plped to atmosphere or other suitable point of exhaust. In addition to this each conduit Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 1,1905. Serial Ho 281,785.

Patented June 5,1906.

leading to the turbine is provided with a shut-oil valve, which may be automatic in its action or hand-operated, the latter being the preferred arrangement. By reason of this construction one or more of the reciprocating engines can supply exhaust steamto the low-' pressure turbine. When all of the nozzles or other fluid-discharging devices are in service, it will be seen that the turbine is a motivepower device that is common to the exhausts from the engines.

The turbine can be controlled by a suitable valve mechanism which opens and closes automatically to admit or cut off steam or by connecting its generator when one is driven.

thereby with a suitable source of current which keeps it at a definite speed. Asatisfactory controlling mechanism comprises a plurality of successively-operating 'valves' which cut sections ofan expanding nozzle into and out of action. respond to changes in in speed, as desired.

It is sometimes desirable to have the turbine drive a greater load than canbe taken care of by the exhaust-steam from one or more reciprocating engines, and to take care of this'excess load one or more nozzles or other fluid-discharging devices are provided which receive steam directly from the highpressure source or through a'suitable pressure-reducin valve. These overload"ir6z zles preferably have a somewhat greater ratio These valves may pressure or to changes of expansion than the'main nozzles, because of the high-pressure steam which supplies them. Each nozzle or deviceis provided with a suitable'shut-ofl' valve, whereby it may be cut out-of service. Normallythey will not be'inservice, but come into use on overload requirements or wheirth'e reciprocating engines are shut down; and it is. de-.

sired to operate the turbine onlv.

The turbine is connected as directly as possible to a condenser ofa'ny approveeljtype.

By preference as good a vacuum as possible is continuously maintained.- While I have referred for convenience to steam as the motive fluid, it is evident-that the invention is 'not limited thereto, since other'fiuids can be utilized.v v

In the accompanying drawings, whichil-lus. trate one embodimentof my invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating hig hpressure reciprocating engines".andmitlow; pressure turbine recei ving exhaust therefrom.

turbine.

-mits fluid to the turbine.- .10

Fig. 2 is a die am "illustrating the circuit -connections'of t e generators driveniby the engines and turbine. Fi 3-is a detail view showing the nozzles whic admit steam from the'reci-procating engines to the turbine, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a nozzle having a eater ratio of expansion that-ad- "om a source of higher pressure somewhat 1 and 2 represent compound reciprocating engines arranged to drive alternating-current generators? and 4. Steam or other elastic uid is supplied to the en ines from the main 5 and the exhaust from t e engines passes to the vertical turbine 6 throu h conduits 7 and 8. The turbine is preferab y of the jet type.

Each'of-the conduits 7 and 8 discharge. into a separate steam-chest 9, which supplies steam to nozzles 10, Fig. 3. These nozzles are preferabl though not necessarily, of the sectiona ized expanding type, havin the several sections so arran ed that the uid is discharged in. the-form o a-solid column against the wheel-buckets 11. If desired, thepassage of'steam through these variousnozzlesections can be controlled by valves 12, that are actuated by hand, by variations in pressure, or in response to speed changes of the Eac of the conduits 7 and 8 is provided with an automatic relief-valve 13, which is set to 0 en at a definite increase in pressure and to c ose when-the pressure is restored to normal. The turbine exhaustsinto a condenser 14 of suitable construction. The one shown is of the surface type, and 15 represents the inlet-pipe for the cooling-wator, and 16 the dischar e-pipe. Mounted on top of the turbine an driven by the main shaft thereof is an alternating-current gen- ,erator -17, that is connected in parallel with the generators 3 and .4 by suitable conductors. The circuits of the generators are controlled by switches 18.

It sometimes happens that the load on the turbine is greater than that which can be Y handled byjthe exhaust-steam, from the re- It is .a somewhat better arrangement,

ciprocatin -engine, and to meet these conditions a'va ved conduit 19 is provided, which connects the main 5 with an auxiliary nozzle or nozzle-sections 20, Fig. 4, which have a somewhat greater ratio of expansion than the mainnozzle shown in Fig. 3. Instead of connecting the conduit to the main 5 it can be connected to a point -,of lower pressurefor example, between the high and the low pressure cylinders of the reciprocating en ine.

owever, to'con'nect thev conduit 19 to the highpressure main, sinceby so doing the turbine can be operatedwhen for any reason it is necessary without, however, operating the re ciprocating engine.

In accordance with the provisions;of the patent statutes-I have described the -principie 6f operation of my invention, together by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, two or more high-pressure reciprocating engines, a l ow-pressure turbine which is common thereto, and separate nozzles or other fluid-discharging devices which receive the exhaust from the engines 'and'discharge it into'the turbine.

- 2.- In combination, two or more high-pressure reciprocating engines, a low-pressure turbine which is-common thereto, nozzles or other devices which discharge fluid to the turbine, and a conduit that extends fromthe low-pressure cylinder of each of the reciprocating engines to a nozzle or other fluid-discharging device. I

3. In combination, two or more high-pressure reci rocating. engines, a low-pressure turbine t rat is common to and receives the exhaust-from the engines, a separate device which discharges the fluid from each engine to the turbine, and shut-ofi valves that control the passage of exhaust-steam to the said devices.

4. In combination, two or more high-pressure reciprocating engines, a lowpressure turbine that is common to and receives .the

exhaust from the engines, a separate device which discharges the fluid from each engine to the turbine, and a relief-valve for each reciprocating engine which opens upon a definite increase in exhaust-pressure.

5. In combination, a high-pressure reciprocating engine, a low-pressure turbine receiving exhaust from the engine, a condenser connected to the turbine, a nozzle on the tur bine through which the exhaust from the engine passes, and another nozzle also on the turbine having a greater ratio of expansion than the first, through which steam of higher pressure passes.

6. In combination, a high-pressure reciprocating engine, a low-pressure turbine receiving exhaust from the engine, a condenser connected to the turbine, a nozzle on the turbine through which the exhaust from the engine passes, another nozzle also on the turbine having a greater ratio of expansion than the first through which steam of higher pressure passes, and a high-pressure main that supplies the high-pressure reciprocating engine and the last-mentioned nozzle.-

In witness whereo'fI have hereunto set my hand this 5th day ofIOctober, 1905. 

